There have been numerous techniques and devices suggested and used for the rescue or retrieval from the water of a sailboat crew member who has fallen overboard, or for rescuing other persons in the water. The procedures start with methods for bringing the boat back to the location of the victim. It is further advised that the boat be positioned to windward of the victim, so that the hull shields the victim from the full force and action of waves and wind.
There are a number of devices currently on the market for getting a retrieval line to the man in the water. Some devices call for heaving a floating buoy to the victim, the buoy attached to a floating line that is in turn attached to the vessel. In this manner, the victim can be pulled close to the boat. One product is described in the Fryer et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,073. This product consists of a flexible collar, filled with flotation material, which is designed to be slipped under the arms of the overboard victim. The collar is attached to a floating polypropylene retrieving line whose other end is attached to the boat.
One negative aspect of overboard rescue not yet satisfactorily resolved concerns the means for hoisting the victim from the water onto the boat. The problems encountered are numerous and serious: For one, the hoisting method must be capable of lifting a potential maximum weight of close to 200-300 pounds or more. The method must provide for a person of minimal strength to do this job - such as a diminutive crew member who must work on the pitching deck of the boat. Rescue must be quick to prevent the victim's exhaustion, and his/her possible drowning.
Additionally, the hoisting method must be designed such that the victim will not be smashed against the boat's hull while being lifted from the sea. Further, the lifting device must not place large forces upon the victim's body.
It is therefore desirable to provide a new and improved rescue device, particularly for use with a sailboat, and which device overcomes many of the problems associated with prior art methods and devices of retrieving and hoisting a person onto a sailboat from the water.